Ceiling with controlled ventilation



Dec. 25, 1962 w. M. ERICSON CEILING WITH CONTROLLED VENTILATION Filed March so, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. WHATEE M. 52/650 BY WLMMLL arromvzy;

Dec. 25, 1962 w. M. ERICSON 3,069,991

CEILING WITH CONTROLLED VENTILATION Filed March 30, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN 1 OR. "(94125.2 M fie/c501! linbeqwpm' A r roams ill) Uiteel 3,@69,9l (IEliLING WITH CUNTRULLED VENTELAHUN Walter M. Ericson, Wauwatosa, Wis, assignor to Airson Co, Inc, Milwaukee, Wis, a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Mar. 30, 1959, Ser. No. 832,723 12 Claims. (Cl. 93-46) This invention relates to a ceiling with controlled ventilation. The present application is a continuation in part of my application 580,738, filed April 26, i956, under the same title, now issued as of January 12, 1960, Patent 2,920,357.

By reason of the versatility of the disclosed supporting grid for cei'ing panels, it is possible to divide the dimensions of almost any room to provide panels of substantially uniform dimension. The grid is made up of hollow runners which not only support the panels but provide passages from a plenum chamber above the ceiling through Which air flows subject to the control of valves slidably adjustable along the runners.

The several runners are not only connected to each other but to special moldings applied to the side walls, means being provided whereby connection of the runners can be made instantaneously and with ease.

The valves are strips of metal reclprocable lorw tudi nally of the runners. In the specific device herein dis closed, as distinguished from that of the parent application above identified, the runners are asymmetrically shouldered and the valve strips are reciprocable externally on the shoulder. lip means connect each such valve iudividually to the shoulder runner upon which it operates.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view in perspective of a false ceiling embodying the invention, portions of the true ceil ing and of the walls of the room being shown fragmentarily and in section.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentaryinverted plan view of the false ceiling on a reduced scale, the room walls being shown fragmentarily in section.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view in perspective showing the connection between a runner and a molding which positions the end thereof in the wall.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary detail view on an enlarged scale in perspective showing portions of a main runner and cross runners in interlocked connection.

FIG. 5 be fragmentary detail view of an inverted runner in perspective.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary detail view of a runner in side elevation.

FIG. 7 is a view talcen in section on the line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a view taken in section on the line 33 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a View in perspective of a slide valve made in accordance with the present invention, portions being broken away.

FIG. 10 is a view in perspective showing a special fitting used to connect the end of a cross runner with a main runner.

FIG. 11 is a view in perspective of opposite end fitting for a cross runner.

' FIG. 12 is a detail view taken in transverse section through a main runner and fragmentarily showing in side elevation a tool use o deforming the metal to lock the parts securely in position. Purely by way of exemplification, the ceiling in may comprise a slab and the floor ll. may comprise a similar slab. The walls 12. may also he of masonry. Air inlet and outlet ducts are provided at E3 and i l, whereby air may be circulated to and from the room for he tin for cooling, or for ventilation, or for all of these purposes. Ordinarily the air will enter through duct 13 and leave through duct 14 after controlled access to the room through the special ceiling hereinafter described. However, it is becoming common to have upward air circulation in the room, in which case the flow through the respective ducts l3 and 14 would be reversed from the direction above described and shown in arrows in FIG. 1.

The duct 13 communicates with the room above a false ceiling. At the height of the desired false ceiling, the room is spanned by a grid of hollow runners of specialized form developed for use in the present invention. in one direction the main runners 15 may serve as stringers and may be continuous across the room, desirably being spaced equidistantly from each other and from the side walls. in the other direction, cross runners 15 extend only from one main runner is to the next or from the last main runner 15 to the side wall. The main runners l5 are conveniently suspended from the true ceiling by means of the supporting wires ll' conventionally anchored at 18 in the ceiling ill. I use the same type of wires which are commonly used to support false ceiling work. The main runners are provided with openings 19 .at short intervals to receive the supporting wires 17, the supporting wires being passed through the openings as needed and twisted upon themselves to provide support.

Desirably the main runners 15 and the cross runners to differ only in length. The construction is essentially identical. Each is folded from a strip of sheet metal as c early shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. One side marginal portion Zll. is upright. immediately below this the metal is folded outwardly to provide a shoulder 2.1. This shoulder represents the top of an interior passage 22. Below the shoulder. the sheet metal extends downwardly again at 23 reconstitute the side wall of the air space 22. Near the bottom of the passage, the metal is folded laterally outwardlv at 24 to constitute the top of a supporting flange 25. The bottom web 26 is continuous acrossthe bottom of the runner and formed by folding the metal sharply upon itself at 27 at 28. This bottom web 2s is provided with narrow slots 36 aligned in rectilinear series to communicate with the passage 22 within the channel.

Where the metal is folded back upon itself at 28 it forms a second two ply flange 29', the upper surface of which comprises the ply 32.. The ply 32 is folded upwardly to make wall 33 constituting the other side wall of the internal air space 22. At the top of therunner, the metal is folded at 34 over the margin 2% to provide a look at 35. i

The respective two ply lateral flanges 25 port ceiling panels as of any desired type. These may simpy he laid in place as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, no particular connection being required. The space between the false ceiling and the true ceiling will communicate with. the room beneath the false ceiling through the run ners which constitute the supporting grid, although all of the runners are not necessarily provided with openings leading fr-cm the plenum space above the false ceiling into the internal air spaces of the respective run"ers. The runners shown in FiG. 4 have openings 41 of substantial size which afford communication between the plenum chamber air space and the air passage 22 within the runer. The openingsdl are desirably formed as shown by cutting away portions of the sheet metal side wa l 23 of each runner and portions of the shoulder 21. The opening may extend up into the top marginal portion 21 if de ired. The communication between the air passage 22 of the runner a d the plenum space above the false cei through the openings or ports 41 can be controlled convenient y b means of the slide valves 45, one of which is separately illustrated in FlG. 9.

The slide valve constitutes a chmnel having a top fiage 4-5 which is horizontal, a web 47 which is vertical and provided with a slot at 4-8, and a bottom flange 49 which and 29 sup is horizontal and which rests on the shoulder 21 of the runner. With flange 4 9 there are connected integral depe..ding flanges 50 which are longitudinally spaced from each other and which desirably have inwardly turned lugs at 51. These lugs engage in the ports 41 as clearly shown in FIGS. 4, 6 and 8. In so doing, they limit the range of reciprocation of the slide valve and also provide means whereby the slide valve may be operated, the operating tool sea being inserted into the runner air space from beneath the false ceiling through one of the slots 36 in web 26 of the runner (as shown in FIG. 8) to engage the lugs '51 which project into the passage 22 through the ports 41.

A spring clip at 52 can be passed through any of the openings 19 and its legs 53 have sufficient bias toward each other to hold the respective slide valve 45 securely to the top marginal portion 2% of the runner between the overturned flange 35 at the upper end of the runner and the shoulder 21 which lies below such flange.

The valve members 45 can be made as long as desired. If their length is less than the total length of the runner, they may either be operated individually along the runner or, if their ends abut, then the operation of the valve at one end of the series will shift all of the valves of the series concurrently to open or close the air ports 41 to the desired exent.

If the runners are not provided with ports, as may be the case in certain installations, the appearance will be as shown in FIG. 5.

The passage 22 which extends longitudinally through the respective runners not only serves as an air passage, but also receives tongue portions of connecting fittings which secure each other to make up the grid as disclosed. Two such fittings d and 56 are shown in FIGS. and 11. Each includes a channel-shaped tongue portion 57 which is receivable into the passage 22 of a respective runner. Each of the channel-shaped tongues 57 inserted into a runner may have a stop 57% limiting its penetration into the runner, this feature being optional. Alternatively, the tool hereinafter described may be used as shown in FIG. 12 to offset the metal of the parts to hold the tongue at a greater projection as shown at 571 in FIG. 3.

Each of the fittings further includes a broad plate portion 53 or 59 which extends laterally from one end of the channel and is folded upon itself at 60- or 61 to constitute a hook engageable over the top of a transversely disposed runner or other support. Plate 59 differs from plate 53 only that it has an offset shoulder at 63- which is complementary to the shoulder 21 of the runner. In other words, the runner being asymmetrical, the difference in contour as between the two sides of the runner is refie'cted in the difference in cross section of the respective hooks of fittings 55 and 56 so that each hook is complementary to the side of the runner with which it will engage.

Since the respective fittings '55 and 56 are used at opposite ends of the respective cross runners, the plates 58 and 59 and the corresponding hooks 6d and 61 extend in opposite directions from the center line common to the two cross runners. This clearly appears in FIG. 4 and also, on a smaller scale, in FIG. 1. The two hooks may actually abut, end to end, and extend oppositely from the plane in which they abut.

After the cross runners have been assembled to the main runners by the use of these hooked fittings 55 and 56, the parts may be locked in position by means of a special type of punch as shown in FIG. 12. The tool 65 has plier-like jaws 66, 67 which swing away from each other at a sufficient radius to be adapted to clear the intervening runner structure. The jaw 66 carries a punch at 68 while the jaw 67 has a complementary socketed die at 69. When the punch and die are brought together upon plate 58 and flange 60 of either of the fittings 55 or 56, the metal of the plate and flange and the intervening metal of the runner will be deformed as shown sat en at 70 in FIG. 12 and FIG. 4 to lock the parts securely in adjustment.

The fittings 55 and 56 which couple the cross runners to the main runners also serve to couple either runner to any wall. FIG. 3 shows one of the fittings 56 so used. Attached to the wall 12 by any appropriate means such as the screws 72 is a molding 73 which is generally angular in cross section. Along its upper edge it has an offset upwardly extending flange 74 over which the hook portion 61 of the plate 5') is engageable. At the other side of the room, the fitting 55 would be used and its hook portion 6%) would engage with the offset plane '74 in the same manner. However, the flange 74 is desirably shorter than the depth of the hook, the fitting and runner being supported on the reversely inwardly bent margin '75 of an outwardly extending flange 76 of the molding. This leaves clearance within the hook 61 above the top mar-gin of flange 74 to receive anchoring means such as the nail '77 which is driven into the wall through a slot 78 provided in the hook of fitting 56.

The main runners will desirably be supported at their ends from the opposite walls and will be supported at any desired intermediate positions by means of wire ties 17. The cross runners 16 will be connecetd with the main runners as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 and with the side walls as shown in FIG. 1.

Completion of the grid by suspending the several main runners and cross runners will provide rectangular seats, each of which comprises four of the flanges 25 or 29. The grid has sufficient rigidity so that heavy loads can be imposed on these flanges without tending to twist the runners torsionally. it is possibie to hang lighting fixtures or the like from the runners or to mount panels of any ordinary weight on these seats. Materials commonly used for such panels include hardboard, wallboard, metal or gypsum tiles, transparent or translucent synthetic resin, mineral wool and other materials.

For the purposes of controlling air flow through the partition formed by these panels, it is greatly preferred that the panels be substantially impervious to the passage of air. Thus, all the air which penetrates from one side of the partition to the other will be required to pass through the passages of the respective runners, subject to the control of the respective valves with which such runners are provided.

Since the panels are held by gravity, any one of thent may readily be removed, simply by pushing it upwardly, thereby giving access to the plenum chamber above the false ceiling.

Air passes between the plenum chamber and the room either upwardly or downwardly according to the pres sure difierential developed by the admission or exhaust of air through the respective ducts 13, 14. The passage of air through the false ceiling depends uporrthe extent to which the ports &1 are exposed by the adjustment of the several valves 45. In certain installations, these ports may be omitted from certain runners. However, except for saving in the cost of the valves, there is no occasion to omit the ports. When the depending flanges 50 of the respective valves register with the respective ports 41, the ports will be substantially sealed against passage of air. When the depending flanges 56 of the valves are offset from the ports, the ports will be wide open. Between these two extremes, any desired intermediate opening can be achieved by manipulation of the valves.

The slots 38 in the bottoms of the air passages 22 of the runner are very inconspicuous in the finished ceiling. Since a row of such slots completely surrounds all of the intermediate panels of the ceiling, it will be evident that the flow of air either upwardly or downwardly in the room can be regulated with the utmost accuracy to take account of requirements and of factors tending to render such flow unequal.

There are many advantages of the ceiling disclosed. In the first place, it uses the same supporting wires with which workmen are used to dealing in the erection of any false ceiling. In the second place, it employs very few types of parts. In the third place, the fittings can be manipulated with great speed to effect an exceptionally secure connection between the parts. In the fourth place, the organization is extremely versatile, permitting ready variation in spacing between the hollow runners used as stringers so that the ceiling panels may be of uniform dimensions throughout the ceiling. In the fifth place, the wall molding cooperates well with the hollow runners and the connecting ties to rigidify the wall to ceiling connection and to produce an attractive pattern. Finally, the hollow runners provide a neat and attractive way of accommodating air flow through the ceiling subject to extraordinarily accurate control by simple manipulation of the slide valve strips.

While the invention has been described from the standpoint of its preferred use in connection with a wall constituting a false ceiling, it will be understood that the runner grid and the controlling valves can be used in a vertical wall as well as a horizontal wall of a room.

I claim:

1. The combination with a room enclosing surface, of a false partition spaced from said surface and comprising substantially impervious panels having face portions exposed in the room and having their margins mutually spaced narrowly in longitudinal and transverse directions, runners disposed between the end and side margins of the panels and having interior passages defined by walls extending tothe room exposed surfaces of the panels and having room exposed panel-positioning flanges, such runners having webportions provided with apertures constituting, in part, means of communication through the false partition and opening into'the room to accommodate air flow through the false partition, said runners further having ports on the nonexposed side of said panels communicating with said interior passages, and valve means controlling said ports and comprising slides accessible through said apertures from the interior of the room.

2. In a room having walls, a floor and a ceiling and a false ceiling below the true ceiling, and further having air circulating ducts opening above and below the false ceiing, a false ceiling structure which comprises the combination with a wall molding, of a grid of runners which includes stringer runners mounted at their ends upon the molding and transverse runners having their ends mounted on the stringer runners, and substantially impervious panels mounted on the transverse and stringer runners and having their lower surfaces exposed to constitute the lower surface of the false ceiling, the several panels having their margins in close proximity and spaced only by the runners, each such runner comprising upright walls forming passages between the panels and flanges upon which the panel margins are supported, and a bottom web extending substantially continuously between said flanges and constituting a portion of the exposed lower portion of the ceiling, the bottom web being provided with a series of slots affording communication between the portion of the room above the false ceiling and the portion of the room beneath it and constituting substantially the sole means for accommodating ventilating flow between said ducts and the room beneath the false ceiling, the several runners being provided throughout the false ceiling with valve means adjustable from beneath the false ceiling for controlling flow through said runners, whereby such flow can be regulated on a localized basis throughout the area of the false ceiling, and wherein each of the several runners is provided with a shoulder above the panels supported by such runner, the valve means comprising a slide valve having a complementary shoulder and provided with means holding it to the runner for movement along the shoulder of the runnor, the slide valve having valve flanges depending in a position to register variably with lateral ports with which assassithe respective runners are provided between their respective shoulders and the supported panels.

3. In a room having walls, a floor and a ceiling and a false ceiling below the true ceiling, and further having air circulating ducts opening above and below the false ceiling, a false ceiling structure which comprises the combination with a wall molding, of a grid of runners which includes stringer runners mounted at their ends upon the molding and transverse runners having their ends mounted on the stringer runners, and substantially impervious panels mounted on the transverse and stringer runners and having their lower surfaces exposed to constitute the lower surface of the false ceiling, the several panels having their margins in close proximity and spaced only by the runners, each such runner comprising upright walls forming passages between the panels and flanges upon which the panel margins are supported, and a bottom web extending substantially continuously between said flanges and constituting a portion of the exposed lower portion of the ceiling, the bottom web being provided with a series of slots affording communication between the portion of the room above the false ceiling and the portion of the room beneath it and constituting substantially the sole means for accommodating ventilating flow between said ducts and the rcom beneath the false ceiling, the several runners being provided throughout the false ceiling with valve means adjustable from beneath the false ceiling for controlling flow through said runners, whereby such flow can be regulated on a localized basis throughout the area of the false ceiling, and wherein respective transverse runners have hook-shaped fittings provided with tongues engaged in the interior passages of the respective runners, the hooks of such fittings being engaged over the supporting stringer runners and providing a connection of the transverse runners to the stringer runners.

4. In a room having walls, a floor and a ceiling and a false ceiling below the true ceiling, and further having air circulating ducts cpening above and below the false ceiling, a false ceiling structure which comprises the combination with a wall molding, of a grid of runners which includes stringer runners mounted at their ends upon the molding and transverse runners having their ends mounted on the stringer runners, and substantially impervious panels mounted on the transverse and stringer runners and having their lower surfaces exposed to constitute the lower surface of the false ceiling, the several panels having their margins in close proximity and spaced only by the runners, each such runner comprising upright walls forming passages between the panels and flanges upon which the panel margins are supported, and a bottom web extending substantially continuously between said flanges and constituting a portion of the exposed lower portion of the ceiling, the bottom web being provided with a series of slots affording communication between the portion of the room above the false ceiling and the portion of the room beneath it and constituting substantially the sole means for accommodating ventilating flow between said ducts and the room beneath the false ceiling, the several runners being provided throughout the false ceiling with valve means adjustable from beneath the false ceiling for controlling flow through said runners, whereby such flow can be regulated on a localized basis throughout the area of the false ceiling, and wherein respective transverse runners have hook-shaped fittings provided with tongues engaged in the interior channels of the respective runners, the books of such fittings being engaged over the supporting stringer runners and providing a connection of the transverse runners to the stringer runners, the said ccnnection being secured by deformed metal of the hooks of said fitting in interlocking engagement with the metal of the stringer runners engaged by such hooks.

5. In a false ceiling, a grid for the support of panels, said grid comprising main runners and cross runners,

respective cross runners being substantially aligned and comprising longitudinal passages including means for conducting air from one side of said grid to the other, fittings engaged in proximate ends of aligned cross runners and including portions extending into the respective passages of said cross runners and other portions projecting laterally in opposite directions along the intervening main runner and having hooks engaged over the top of such intervening main runner.

6. A runner for use in a panel-supporting grid, said runner comprising a one piece elongated facing strip provided with a row of slots, lateral portions of said strip being folded back upon themselves to provide two ply flanges and thence extending away from said strip in mutually spaced relation as the side walls of an intervening passage with which such slots communicate, the said walls being connected beyond said passage to constitute a passage closure and at least one of said walls being provided with ports opening from said passage.

7. The device of claim 6 in further combination with an elongated valve having means holding it to said runner and having port closing portions spaced to provide open area therebetween registrable with respective slots when the valve is shifted longitudinally of the runner, the valve being shi'ftable longitudinally to effect concurrent opening and closing of a plurality of runner ports to an extent determinable by the position of the valve respecting the runner.

8. The device of claim 6 in which the connection of said walls as a closure for said passage is effected substantially in the plane of one of said walls, the. other wall of said strip having a laterally ofiset shoulder.

9. The device of claim 8 in further combination with a valve member reciprocable longitudinally along the runner and comprising a portion resting on said shoulder and having longitudinally spaced depending flanges registrable in substantially corresponding extent with the ports with which the shouldered wall is provided.

10. The device of claim 9 in which the valve member includes a slotted web, and registering side marginal portions of said strip beyond the passage closure are provided with apertures registering with the Web slot, together with a spring clip extending through the slot and at least one of such apertures, and biasing the valve member toward the runner to hold it in position on said shoulder.

11. The combination with a room enclosing surface of a false partition spaced fro-m said surface, and air circulating ducts opening at each side of said false partiticn, said false partition comprising a series of parallel, longitudinally extending stringer runners having oppositely outwardly extending flanges, a plurality of rectangular, substantially impervious panels supported along opposite side edges by engagement on said flanges, means defining a series of air circulation ports at the other two edges of said panels, and valve means movable relative to said ports to control the flow of air through said false partition.

12. A combination in accordance with claim 11 wherein said panels are elongated in shape and have short edges supported by said flanges and said port defining means is disposed along the long edges thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 781,538 Lyster Jan. 31, 1905 1,826,133 Hatch Oct. 6, 1931 2,180,945 Morey Nov. 21, 1939 2,221,001 Lucius Nov. 12, 1940 2,251,682 Leadbetter Aug. 5, 1941 2,251,683 Darbo Aug. 5, 1941 2,859,681 Rachlin Nov. 11, 1958 

